Abstract

Background: Currently, at the Hue Traditional Medicine Hospital, patients with anemia account for a significant proportion of internal medicine cases treated with traditional medicine. However, systematic analysis and statistical evaluation of the frequency of clinical symptoms in each qi and blood syndrome remain limited. Moreover, the relationship between qi and blood syndromes and the severity levels of anemia based on subclinical indicators (according to modern medical standards) has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Objectives: To investigate the frequency of symptoms associated with Qi and Blood syndromes in anemic patients at Hue Traditional Medicine Hospital, and to examine the correlation between these syndromes and the severity of anemia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 patients at Hue City Hospital of Traditional Medicine who had a definitive diagnosis of anemia based on WHO criteria. Results: The prevalence of symptoms in Qi Deficiency syndrome included fatigue and weakness (82.7%), soft voice (59.3%), shortness of breath (56.0%), tender tongue (52.7%), spontaneous sweating (24.7%), and weak pulse (22.0%); the prevalence of symptoms in Blood Deficiency syndrome included pale complexion, eyelids, lips, and nails (68.7%), insomnia (63.3%), dizziness (57.3%), pale tongue (52.0%), thready and weak pulse (49.3%), palpitations (39.3%), numbness of hands and feet (32.0%), thready pulse (16.7%); the prevalence of symptoms in Qi Stagnation syndrome included abdominal distension (19.3%), wiry pulse (7.3%), and migratory pain (3.3%); the prevalence of symptoms in Blood Stasis syndrome included cyanosis of the lips and tongue/ecchymosis (6.0%), fixed stabbing pain (3.3%), and hesitant pulse (4.7%); combined Qi and Blood Deficiency syndrome was the most common, accounting for 50.7% of cases. Conclusion: Symptoms of Qi Deficiency, Blood Deficiency, and combined Qi and Blood Deficiency syndromes are commonly observed in anemic patients, suggesting a similarity between anemia in modern medicine and Qi and Blood syndromes in traditional medicine. The prevalence of clinical manifestations of Qi and Blood deficiency was significantly higher in the moderate anemia group compared to the mild anemia group, indicating that the more severe the anemia, the more pronounced the manifestations of Qi and Blood deficiency. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05).